Warriors: A New Leaf - New Beginnings
by Ravenfeather25
Summary: Moons after the battle with the Dark Forest, and the clans have repaired their camps and calmed down again, the three, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Dovewing, have settled down and started families. Ravenkit, Lunarkit, and Graykit, kin of the three, won't just be simple clan cats for long, as they have a huge destiny awaiting them, like their powerful family.
1. Allegiances

Thunderclan:

Leader: Bramblestar - Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes. (Apprentice: Snowpaw)

Deputy: Squirrelflight - dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Medicine Cat: Jayfeather - grey tabby tom with blind blue eyes.

Warriors:

Cloudtail - long-haired white tom with blue eyes

Leafpool - light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, former medicine cat.

Spiderleg - Long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

Birchfall - light brown tabby tom

Whitewing - white she-cat with green eyes

Berrynose - cream-colored tom

Hazeltail - Small gray-and-white she-cat

Mousewhisker - gray-and-white tom (Apprentice: Dewpaw)

Lionblaze - golden tabby tom with amber eyes (Mate: Cinderheart)

Foxleap - reddish tabby tom (Apprentice: Seedpaw, Mate: Ivypool) *A/N: Was confirmed that Ivypool and Foxleap would work as mates*

Icecloud - white she-cat

Toadstep - black-and-white tom

Rosepetal - dark cream she-cat (Apprentice: Lilypaw)

Briarlight - dark brown she-cat

Blossomfall - toroiseshell and white she-cat.

Bumblestripe - very pale grey tom with black stripes (Mate: Dovewing)

Cherrystep - ginger she-cat (Apprentice: Amberpaw)

Molestrike - brown-and-cream tom

Apprentices:

Lilypaw - a dark tabby she-cat with with patches

Seedpaw - a very pale ginger she-cat

Amberpaw - Gray she-cat with white paw, muzzle, right and has amber eyes.

Snowpaw - White tom with amber eyes

Dewpaw - Gray tom with amber eyes.

Queens:

Daisy - cream long-furred cat from the horseplace

Cinderheart - Gray tabby she-cat (Kits: Greykit, a grey pelted tom, and Sunkit, an orange tabby tom.)

Dovewing - pale gray she-cat with blue eyes (Kits: Ravenkit, a black she-kit with gray paws and green eyes, and Lunarkit, a black she-kit with amber eyes.)

Ivypool - silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes. *half way through pregancy*

Elders:

Graystripe - Long haired gray tom.

Dustpelt - dark brown tabby tom.

Sandstorm - pale ginger she-cat with green eyes.

Brackenfur - golden brown tabby tom

Brightheart - white she-cat with ginger patches.

Millie - striped gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes.

Thornclaw - Golden brown tabby tom.

**Author's Note: Cherrystep and Molestrike were Cherrypaw and Molepaw. I made them warriors since this story is supposed to take place several moons after the battle with the Dark Forest. It was confirmed that Brightheart and Cloudtail had one more litter of kits, which are Amberpaw, Snowpaw and Dewpaw. You'll notice that Brightheart has moved to the elder's den and Cloudtail has not. This is because, based on Cloudtail's stubborn personality, I figured he wouldn't want to move to the elder's den just yet. You'll also notice that Purdy is no longer in the clan. This is because Purdy was a very old cat and I just didn't believe he would have been alive much longer after the events in The Last Hope. Don't worry about any of the cats in the elder's den. Even though they thought they were ready to retire to the elder's den, they still have many more seasons to live as a part of Thunderclan. This story does not follow any events from Bramblestar's Storm and Dovewing's Silence. It has a completely new plot with differences in the Allegiances. No concepts from either of these books were used other than that it follows the events in The Last Hope.**


	2. Chapter One

_Ravenkit shuffled in her nest_ and woke up beside her mother's belly in the nursery. She could hear Lunarkit outside chasing a bug. She looked up at her mother and yawned.  
>"Ravenkit, are you going to go play outside with Lunarkit and Graykit?" Dovewing asked her. Ravenkit jumped up from the nest and shook her head.<br>"I have to help Jayfeather!" Ravenkit mewled excitedly.  
>"Hush!" Dovewing hissed. "You'll wake Sunkit."<br>"Sorry, but I have to go," Ravenkit urged. "I'll see you later, Dovewing!"  
>"Be careful, Ravenkit!" Dovewing meowed after her daughter. Ravenkit dashed out of the nursery. She quickly made her way over to the medicine den and peaked inside. "Jayfeather?"<br>"Ravenkit?" Briarlight mewed from inside the den. "Come back to help out again?"  
>Ravenkit padded inside. She saw the injured she-cat in her nest playing with a moss ball. "Yep!"<br>"Catch!" Briarlight exclaimed. She tossed the the moss ball over to the black she-kit. Ravenkit caught it in her mouth and tossed it back. The two cats made this exchange a couple more times.  
>"Come here, Ravenkit," a deep mew sounded from the entrance to the herb-store making Ravenkit jump. "You know how to sort herbs, right?"<br>Ravenkit looked over and saw that Jayfeather was beckoning her with his tail. She nodded and rolled the moss ball back over to Briarlight. "See you later, Briarlight!"  
>She bounced after Jayfeather, following him into the herb-store. Going over them in her head, she sniffed at the herbs and looked at Jayfeather with a confused expression.<br>"The look sorted," she confessed.  
>"They're not," Jayfeather corrected. "I can smell them. But, I need to help Briarlight exercise, so you figure this out. Look at them closely."<br>Ravenkit nodded, and Jayfeather padded out and began to toss the moss ball around with Briarlight. Ravenkit sniffed around the herbs and began to move them around with her paw. Jayfeather peaked into the herb-store, then looked back to Briarlight. He tossed the ball back to her.  
>"I need to go talk to Bramblestar," He announced. "I'll be back. Keep exercising."<br>Briarlight nodded, and Jayfeather padded out. Ravenkit put the last few herbs in place and went over all of them in her head once more. She padded out of the medicine den and into the clearing, dipping her head to Briarlight as she walked out. She emerged from the entrance and sat down to groom herself. She looked up and saw Jayfeather approaching her.  
>"Don't make me walk the whole way," He instructed her. Ravenkit nodded and ran up to him.<br>"What do you need, Jayfeather?" Ravenkit asked with her head tipped to one side.  
>"How would you like to become my apprentice, when the time comes?" Jayfeather asked.<br>"R-really?" the black she-kit stammered. Jayfeather nodded. "Okay!"  
>Jayfeather dipped his head to her and walked back over to the highledge. She watched as he disappeared inside. Too her surprise, she saw Lionblaze and Dovewing follow. Ravenkit watched curiously, as Lunarkit and Graykit bounced up to her excitedly.<br>"We heard you talking to Jayfeather!" Lunarkit squeaked. "That's so cool! You got chosen to be the medicine cat apprentice!"  
>"Yeah..." Ravenkit muttered, still staring at the leader's den.<br>"What's going on inside the leader's den?" Lunarkit asked.  
>"I don't know," Ravenkit admitted. "I thought Jayfeather was going to tell Bramblestar that I am going to be his apprentice, but then Lionblaze and Dovewing went in, too."<br>"Why would Lionblaze be going in there?" Graykit asked with his head tilted to one side.  
>"I don't know..." Ravenkit answered. A moment later, the four of them padded out of the leader's den.<br>"My little Ravenkit a medicine cat!" Dovewing purred.  
>"Dovewing the eavesdropper," Lionblaze said in amusement.<br>"Stop with that, Dovewing..." Jayfeather muttered grumpily.  
>"Lighten up, Jayfeather," Dovewing meowed.<br>"I'm going to get something to eat," Graykit announced. He padded away toward the fresh-kill pile. Lunarkit suddenly dashed away.  
>"Lionblaze!" She yowled.<br>"What, what?" Lionblaze said as she grew closer. Ravenkit watched in amusement as Lunarkit pounced on Lionblaze, tackling him, with her claws sheathed.  
>"Take <em>that<em>, intruder!" she hissed. Graykit padded forward and sat down next to Ravenkit.  
>"Lunarkit, what are you doing?" He mewed.<br>"He's an intruder!" She replied. Then, she rammed into Lionblaze's flank. "We have to drive him out to protect the clan!"  
>"Ah, you've got me!" Lionblaze playfully fell over and pretended he was hurt. Jayfeather rolled his eyes.<br>"If you could actually get hurt, Lionblaze, I would have clawed your ears off by now," Jayfeather grumbled. Cinderheart appeared next to Jayfeather and purred in amusement.  
>Ravenkit looked over and saw that Graykit had returned to his vole.<br>"Ha, I win!" Lunarkit yowled triumphantly. Graykit suddenly ran up and attacked her.  
>"No, I win!" He mewed. Lunarkit squeaked and pushed him off.<br>"More intruders!" she yowled. Abandoning their game, Lunarkit ran up to Dovewing. "So, Dovewing, when are we going to become apprentices? Do you know? Who's going to be my mentor?"  
>"Tomorrow, Lunarkit, and I don't know who your mentor is going to be," Dovewing meowed softly.<br>"Did you hear that, Ravenkit?" Lunarkit mewed excitedly. "Tomorrow we are going to be apprentices!"  
>"I heard!" Ravenkit purred. She looked over and saw Sunkit tumbling out of the nursery. The orange kit bounced up to Cinderheart.<br>"Sunkit!" Cinderheart exclaimed. "You've woken up!"  
>"Are me and Sunkit going to become apprentices tomorrow, too?" Graykit asked, looking over at Bramblestar.<br>"You two are going to become apprentices a little later," The tabby leader replied.  
>"You're younger than Lunarkit and Ravenkit," Cinderheart reminded them. Graykit nodded sadly.<br>"I can't wait!" Lunarkit squeaked excitedly. She looked over at Dovewing. "Who do you want my mentor to be?"  
>"I don't really mind who it is, as long as they train you well," Dovewing purred. Ravenkit noticed that Graykit was no longer beside her. She looked over her shoulder and saw that he was now sitting on the fallen tree. Lunarkit and Sunkit padded over to join him, and Ravenkit was left by herself with Jayfeather and Bramblestar. Just then, Rosepetal and her apprentice, Lilypaw, entered the camp, yowling for Bramblestar.<br>"Yes, Rosepetal?" Bramblestar greeted. Rosepetal approached, while Lilypaw hung back.  
>"Berrynose and Cloudtail are going at it with a Shadowclan patrol again," Rosepetal informed him. Bramblestar sighed.<br>"Firestar, your nephew is a handful," He mewed, looking at the sky. "I hope you know that. Alright, lead the way, Rosepetal."  
>The three of them sprinted away. Ravenkit watched them leave the camp. <em>I wish I could go.<em> She thought longingly. _But, I'm still a kit._ She sighed and continued to watch the camp entrance.  
>"You want to go out there, don't you?" she jumped at the sound of Jayfeather's voice. She looked over and saw that the blind medicine cat had settled beside her. Ravenkit noticed her fur was standing on end, and she quickly made it lie down.<br>"Yeah," she sighed. "But, I am still a kit."  
>"Only for a little longer," He reminded her. "Come on. Let's get some herbs ready. I feel like there are going to be some scratches to tend to when they get back."<br>She nodded and followed Jayfeather to the medicine den. She walked into the herb-store and Jayfeather was sitting down next to the herbs. "What herbs do we need for scratches?"  
>"Why are you asking me?" Ravenkit asked.<br>"I want to see how much you know," he replied. "Now, what herbs do we need?"  
>Ravenkit approached the herbs and sniffed around them, going through their names and purposes in her head.<br>"Dock is for scratches," she began. "If it's serious, then we should use cobwebs and goldenrod."  
>Ravenkit looked at Jayfeather to see if she was right. He nodded. "Very good. What if the cat has gone into shock from a lot of blood loss?"<br>"Thyme?" Ravenkit answered. Jayfeather nodded again.  
>"Right, so get those herbs for me," Jayfeather instructed. Ravenkit nodded and carefully grabbed the herbs in her jaws. She set them down in front of Jayfeather and waited to see if she got the right ones. He bent down and sniffed them.<br>"Perfect," he meowed. "Now, we wait."  
>And, so they did. Ravenkit padded to the entrance of the den and watched the camp entrance, waiting for the patrol to return to camp. After awhile, the brambles guarding the entrance began to rustle, and a group of cats entered with Bramblestar at the lead.<br>"Cloudtail, go get your scratches tended to, and, Berrynose, you come with me," Bramblestar said with authority. The two cats walked away toward the Leader's den and then they disappeared inside. Cloudtail stalked toward the Medicine Den. Ravenkit dashed inside to help Jayfeather.  
>"They're back!" Ravenkit announced. Jayfeather nodded and Cloudtail entered the den.<br>"I need herbs," he mewed. _Pushy fur ball._ Ravenkit thought. Jayfeather glared at him with his blind blue eyes and nodded.  
>"Come here, then," Jayfeather grumbled. Cloudtail approached him, and the medicine cat inspected he wounds. "Ravenkit, get me the cobwebs. Looks like he's got a deep one on his shoulder."<br>Ravenkit nodded and wrapped some cobwebs around her paws. She walked over, and Jayfeather tugged them off with his claw. "Are you going to need goldenrod?"  
>"Looks like it," Jayfeather muttered. He split the cobwebs in to two piles and used one to absorb the blood in the wound. "Make a poultice, please."<br>Ravenkit nodded again and got the goldenrod from where she placed it earlier. She chewed some up and spit it out onto a leaf, then dragged it over to Jayfeather. He applied the poultice to Cloudtail's wound and secured it with the second bundle of cobwebs.  
>"You need to rest," Jayfeather instructed him.<br>"No, I'm fine," Cloudtail countered, stubbornly.  
>"No, you're wounded, and you need to let the wound heal," Jayfeather retorted. "Cloudtail, you're getting a bit old. I think it's time you considered moving to the elder's den. I mean, even your mate has moved."<br>"I don't need to move to the elder's den to be treated like a kit," Cloudtail hissed. He gave Jayfeather one last glare and stomped away angrily.  
>"All of our kin are so stubborn," Jayfeather stated, giving Ravenkit a poorly aimed amused look. A moment later, Dovewing burst into the herb-store.<br>"There you are, Ravenkit!" Dovewing meowed in relief. "I hope you weren't getting in Jayfeather's way."  
>"No, Dovewing, she was helping me patch up your stubborn grandfather," Jayfeather assured her.<br>"Oh, well, it's getting late, and you need your sleep tonight," Dovewing mewed. "Let's go."  
>Dovewing shuffled her kit out of the Medicine Den and steered her toward the Nursery. When they entered, Lunarkit, Graykit, and Sunkit were already there getting ready to sleep.<br>"Dovewing, how am I supposed to sleep when I am so excited?" Lunarkit whined. Dovewing flashed her a stern look.  
>"Unless you want to look tired at the ceremony tomorrow, you better go to sleep," Dovewing scolded.<br>"Jayfeather could give you some poppy if you want," Ravenkit interjected.  
>"No, we aren't going to bother Jayfeather anymore tonight, or he'll be even grumpier tomorrow," Dovewing warned. Ravenkit nodded and curled up next to her mother in their nest. A moment later, Lunarkit nestled in with them. Ravenkit found sleep quickly, exhausted from her day.<p> 


	3. Chapter Two

_Ravenkit woke up to Lunar_kit prodding her in the side.

"Wake up, Ravenkit, wake up!" Lunarkit urged. Ravenkit groaned and slowly blinked open her eyes. "Finally! I thought you'd never wake up."

"I'm awake," Ravenkit mumbled. Suddenly, Dovewing began to groom her. Giving her kit swift licks on her cheek and between her ears. Ravenkit felt vibes of sadness coming from her mother. She didn't know why she could tell Dovewing was sad, but she knew. She decided to ask and find out why. "Why are you sad, Dovewing?"

Dovewing stopped grooming her. "What?" Dovewing mewed, astonished.

"Why are you sad?" Ravenkit repeated.

"I'm not,"

"Yes, you are,"

"How would you know that?"

"I don't know, I just do," Ravenkit confessed. Dovewing looked at her strangely. Ravenkit couldn't read the expression, but, somehow, she knew Dovewing was confused.

"O-okay, you two, let's go out, now," Dovewing stammered as Bramblestar started to call together a clan meeting.

"Are you excited?" Lunarkit whispered to Ravenkit excitedly.

"Of course!" Ravenkit exclaimed. "Who wouldn't be?"

"I don't know," Lunarkit replied. "Jayfeather?"

"I bet even Jayfeather is excited to get an apprentice," Ravenkit purred. Dovewing shuffled them out of the nursery. As they emerged, they saw that the clan had already gathered under the High-ledge. Ravenkit and Lunarkit bounced to the front of the crowd. Ravenkit looked back and saw that Dovewing had left them to sit with Jayfeather. She watched as the two adult cats were whispering among themselves. _Probably gossiping.._. Ravenkit thought.

"...it's time to give these kits their new names," Bramblestar's yowl rang out across the crowd. "Ravenkit and Lunarkit, step forward, please."

Both kits dipped their heads, and they padded forward. Lunarkit was surprisingly containing her excitement. The black she-kit was calmly padding forward. Ravenkit, usually a very calm kit, anyways, was also calmly padding forward. She looked back at Dovewing and Jayfeather again. They were both staring at her very intently._ It's like they are observing me._ She thought, uneasily. She and her sister stopped just below the Highledge and they stared up at Bramblestar.

"Ravenkit and Lunarkit, you have both reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed," Bramblestar began to speak the traditional apprentice ceremony words. "From this moment on until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Ravenpaw and Lunarpaw. Lunarpaw, your mentor will be Icecloud. Icecloud, I hope, will be an excellent mentor and pass down all she knows to you."

Bramblestar paused for a moment to catch his breath.

"Icecloud, come forward," Bramblestar beckoned Lunarpaw's new mentor to come forward. "Icecloud, you are ready to take on an apprentice," Bramblestar continued. "You received excellent training from Whitewing and Brackenfur, and you've shown yourself to be courageous and quick. You will mentor Lunarpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Icecloud padded forward to touch noses with Lunarpaw. The clan chanted her new name and they rejoined the crowd. Bramblestar raised his tail for silence.

"Jayfeather, please join me," Bramblestar called. The clan went dead silent. All craning their heads to see the blind cat move forward carefully. He emerged from the crowd and pushed himself up the rock pile onto Highledge. He stood solemnly above his clanmates, who had begun to whisper among themselves, waiting patiently for their silence. The whispers fizzled out and Jayfeather began to speak.

"Cat's of Thunderclan, as you know, I will not live forever," He called out to his clanmates. "If I could, I would, but it's not going to happen. That being said, I've decided to take on an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who has proven to have both a fantastic memory, but also a mind for healing. So, your next medicine cat will be Ravenpaw."

Bramblestar's clear voice rang out among the crowd once again, "Ravenpaw, do you accept the post as an apprentice to Jayfeather?"

Ravenpaw looked around the clearing. She saw all of her clanmates staring at her with wide eyes that were full of curiosity. None of them dared to speak, obviously astonished that Jayfeather was taking on an apprentice. She scanned over the crowd one more time and caught Dovewing's eye. Her gray pelted mother stared at her with admiration and love. Ravenpaw felt her confidence recharge. She looked up at Bramblestar with a hard, solemn gaze. "I do."

"Then at half-moon you must travel with me to Moonpool to be accepted by Starclan before the other medicine cats," Jayfeather informed her with the ceremonial words. He gave her an encouraging look.

"The good wishes of all Thunderclan will go with you," Bramblestar announced. Jayfeather cautiously made his way down the rock pile and stood in front of Ravenpaw. He bent down his muzzle and Ravenpaw touched her nose to his.

"Ravenpaw, Ravenpaw!" The clan chanted, welcoming her as their new medicine cat apprentice. Ravenpaw seemed to burst with happiness and pride. Bramblestar ended the meeting and the clan dispersed leaving only Ravenpaw, her sister, and their new mentors in the clearing. Lunarpaw ran up to Ravenpaw excitedly. Ravenpaw was also very excited, but did well to keep it hidden.

"Wow, I can't believe you get to go to the Moonpool tomorrow!" Lunarpaw beamed. "That's so cool!"

"Wait, half-moon is_ tomorrow_?" Ravenpaw said with disbelief. Lunarpaw nodded eagerly. Ravenpaw became nervous again. _I don't think I am ready for this_. She thought with panic. She was about to say something, but Lunarpaw was called away by Icecloud. Ravenpaw watched in despair as her sister bounced away. How could Lunarpaw be so excited when all Ravenpaw could think about was if she would fail or not? Regardless, Ravenpaw was determined to prove that she would be a great medicine cat. _I will not let my clan down_. She thought with a newfound spark of confidence.

"Of course you won't let your clan down," Ravenpaw whipped around and saw Jayfeather staring at her blankly. _He's bli-_ She cut the thought off short. Jayfeather could hear her thoughts. She couldn't let him hear that.

"How do you know that?" She mewed in response to his encouraging words. He tipped her head at her.

"So, you could hear me?" He asked, ignoring her own question. Ravenpaw looked at him with a confused expression.

"Of course I could," She replied. "I'm not deaf."

Jayfeather's eyes glinted in amusement._ What is he on about? _She wondered to herself.

"I didn't say that out loud," He said, answering her thoughts. She gasped.

"_What_?" Of course he had said that out loud. How else would she had heard him say it?

"I didn't say that outloud," He repeated smugly. She began to glare at him for messing with her head. Then she realized it was pointless cause the medicine cat couldn't see her glaring.

"Just take me around the territory," Ravenpaw growled. Jayfeather sighed and nodded. He flicked his tail to signal for her to follow him. She did so reluctantly. They padded across the camp to the entrance. Slowly, Jayfeather padded through it, careful to keep himself from getting hurt by the brambles protecting the camp. Ravenpaw began to forget their conversation and felt her paws tingle with excitement. She was actually leaving the camp! She never thought she'd ever leave the camp two moons ago, but now she was out in the territory! Out in the world. It was amazing. _Why did I have to be one of the good kits who didn't sneak out of camp?_ She thought regretfully.

"Be glad you were," Jayfeather mewed over his shoulder. "It's not that great, anyways."

"How do you know?" Ravenpaw asked a little too sharply. She was still looking around at the forest. Glancing at him, she noticed Jayfeather seemed completely unphased by the question. He shrugged.

"I've seen it in my dreams," he answered. Jayfeather seemed utterly unimpressed.

"You can't see it when you are awake, but when you can see it, you don't even enjoy it?" Ravenpaw said, trying to understand.

"I didn't say that," He denied. "I enjoy being able to see, but apprentices make such a big deal over being out in the terriory. It's not that great. It's not worth seeing other than to know where everything is."

Ravenpaw scowled. It was worth seeing. It was beautiful and every cat deserved to see it. Not wanting to argue, she just shook her head and continued to follow him as he showed her where all the herbs were and the borders. She got to see where the Lake was, and Jayfeather showed her where some of the tunnels were.

"Stay out of these, they are dangerous," He advised her. "Don't go in them, and try not to go near them."

She nodded to show she understood. Curiosity to see what they looked like burned inside her, but she pushed the feeling away. While following Jayfeather, Ravenpaw continued to look around the forest, taking in every detail she could. Finally, they came to an old abandoned twoleg nest. Jayfeather ducked under a wooden barrier and shuffled over to the other side. Ravenpaw decided to jump onto it and then jump down. It smelled thickly of decaying wood. Parting her jaws to taste the air, Ravenpaw could also smell a more sweet scent. "Catmint." Jayfeather confirmed.

"That's what I figured," She agreed. She approached one of the sweet smelling plants and bent down to smell it again. "Are we going to pick some?"

"No," Jayfeather meowed, shaking his head. He stopped at each of the plants and sniffed them. "No, I just wanted to check on them. Can't pick them while you don't need them."

Ravenpaw glanced around the clearing. She tasted the air once more. "It smells like sickness around here." She wrinkled her nose. Jayfeather nodded.

"There was a case of whitecough going around the camp once," He mewed, explaining the smell. "In that old twoleg nest is where we had the ill stay so they could get better without giving it to anymore cats."

"You _sent them away_?" Ravenpaw asked in astonishment. Jayfeather nodded again.

"We couldn't have everyone in the camp getting sick," He explained while checking another catmint plant. "Thunderclan wouldn't be here if we hadn't."

Ravenpaw lowered her eyes. Suddenly, she felt a wave of cold wash over her. She shivered wildly. Then, the medicine cat collapsed to the ground and curled in a ball, trying to contain some heat. Jayfeather sense something was wrong with her. "Ravenpaw?" He could hear the chattering of her teeth. Ravenpaw heard him approached and begin sniffing around her. "Ravenpaw?" he repeated.

"W-why... d-does it feel... s-so c-c-cold?" She uttered with chattering teeth. Ravenpaw could sense the confusion Jayfeather was feeling.

"It's the middle of green-leaf, Ravenpaw, it's very warm out here," He reminded her. She shook her head that was buried in her fur.

"It f-feels so... c-cold," Jayfeather then grabbed her scruff and dragged her to her feet.

"Let's go back to camp," He meowed softly. Ravenpaw nodded shakily. She stumbled back to camp while leaning against her mentor's shoulder.

"So... so cold," She found herself whispering over and over. They finally reached the camp and Ravenpaw almost collapsed again, but Jayfeather urged her forward. The camp was almost empty. Patrols were out and cats were tending to other affairs, so no one was there to witness what was going on. Jayfeather steered Ravenpaw towards the Medicine Den and when they reached the entrance, she collapsed. The black she-cat curled into a ball and continued to shiver madly. Her breathing grew rapid as she fought to warm up. Then, she felt Jayfeather shove at her. He was trying to push her into the den. Then he stopped. A pair of jaws clamped onto her scruff, and she realized that her mentor was dragging her into the medicine den. This went on for a bit. Then she had stopped being dragged.

"What's wrong with her?" she heard Briarlight ask, concern edging her voice. Ravenpaw curled up more tightly, still attempting to create some heat.

"I don't know," Jayfeather's deep voice sounded intensely afraid, but, for some reason, Ravenpaw couldn't stay awake to hear more. She drifted off to sleep and found herself haunted by bad dreams. That night, she didn't sleep well. She slept feeling cold and afraid.


	4. Chapter Three

_Lunarpaw woke up_ the next morning with a huge yawn. Her new nest was so soft and warm, she didn't want leave it. Her paws still ached from touring the territory the day before. Even so, she was still very excited to begin her training today. She hopped to her paws and dashed out of the apprentices' den. Looking around the camp, she tried to find Ravenpaw. _The lazy fur ball is probably still asleep. _She thought affectionately. Lunarpaw decided to walk over to the Medicine Den to visit.  
>The small cat padded to the entrance and peaked in. "Ravenpaw?"<br>"Lunarpaw?" she heard a voice mew.  
>"Yeah, it's me, Briarlight," Lunarpaw replied. She lifted her nose and sniffed to find the scent of her sister. "I just wanted to see Ravenpaw."<br>"Oh, you can't!" Briarlight said quickly. "H-her and Jayfeather are talking about something important."  
>"Oh, nonsense," Lunarpaw said while trying to go further. "That can wait."<br>Briarlight drug herself in front of Lunarpaw. "I can't let you in. You'll have to come by later."  
>Lunarpaw glared at the crippled cat, but then she caught part of the conversation that was happening on the other side of the lichen.<br>"... it was some sort of omen, Ravenpaw," Lunarpaw heard Jayfeather say lowly. "You were not dying, or else you'd be dead. Now, tell me again what you were feeling. I need every detail."  
>"I've told you a thousand times, already!" Ravenpaw said. She sounded tired and exasperated. She sighed and began to talk, "Okay, as I've said so many times before, I felt a sudden chill wash over me, and then I couldn't stand anymore, so I fell down. It just got colder and colder. Then when you said it was greenleaf, I think it got a little warmer. When we got back to camp, though, it got colder. Then I fell asleep. I didn't sleep well, either, but I can't remember anything I was dreaming!"<br>"You said when I told you it was greenleaf you got warmer?" Jayfeather asked.  
>"Y-yes?" Ravenpaw sounded confused.<br>"As for the dreams, I tried to walk in your dreams, but I couldn't," Jayfeather explained. "I'm not sure why, but I was able to walk in other cats' dreams. Maybe we can find answers tonight at Moonpool. You need to get some rest."  
>Lunarpaw heard Jayfeather approaching, so she quickly backed up to make it seem like she hadn't heard anything. He pushed through the lichen and looked towards Lunarpaw. He missed where she actually was by just a mouse-length. "What are you doing here, Lunarpaw?"<br>"I-I was just coming to see Ravenpaw," she stammered. He narrowed his eyes at her, but then he just walked out of the den.  
>"She's resting right now, so come back later," he said bluntly as he was leaving. Lunarpaw stared after him then glanced over at Briarlight. She heard Icecloud calling for her, so she ran out of the den and met her mentor in the center of camp. <em>What omen? What did I miss yesterday? <em>She thought frantically. _And what did she mean when she said it was cold?_  
>Her head was reeling. She had no idea what was going on with Ravenpaw. Something happened to her sister and she didn't even know about it! All she wanted to do now was to help her. As she left the camp with Icecloud, she realized that she had completely pushed training to the back of her mind. Icecloud stopped and Lunarpaw almost crashed into her mentor. She halted and backed up. Looking around, she noticed they had reached the training area. There was no grass, only moss. It was the mossy hollow with trees thick with leaves surrounding it. Lunarpaw looked up and squinted as she saw the sun had almost reached its height. The moss under her paws felt soft and cool. She caught herself wondering what Ravenpaw was doing at that moment.<br>"Lunarpaw!" Icecloud's voice snapped Lunarpaw away from her thoughts and training had pushed its way back to the front of her mind. The apprentice looked back at her mentor apologetically.  
>"Sorry," She mewed. "So, what are we doing today?"<br>"Well, yesterday we toured the territory, so today we'll begin with simple train exercises," Icecloud explained. "I hope you're ready."  
>"I am!" Lunarpaw meowed excitedly. "Since we are in the hollow, does that mean we are battle training?"<br>"No, no!" Icecloud denied quickly. "No, today we are just practicing hunting techniques."  
>"Oh..." Lunarpaw said as her tail drooped.<br>"Sorry, Lunarpaw, but you're going to have to wait a while for that," Icecloud purred. "Okay, first things first. Your hunting crouch. Show me."  
>"But, I've never gone hunting before," Lunarpaw protested.<br>"Yes, but it should be instinct," Icecloud dismissed her protests with a wave of her tail. "Go."  
>Lunarpaw nodded reluctantly and then crouched down into the best hunting crouch she could think of. Icecloud purred in amusement.<br>"Okay, not too bad, actually. Stay in your crouch. First, you need to keep your tail off the ground and keep it still. Just lift it slightly and make sure you don't move it. Always have your paws in a position that makes it easy to spring. So, adjust them comfortably. I'll show you, and then I want you to mimic me."  
>Lunarpaw stood up and watched Icecloud drop into a flawless hunting crouch. She studied it and tried to memorize it, then she dropped down and attempted to mimic Icecloud's crouch. Icecloud stood up and observed Lunarpaw's crouch.<br>"That's really good, but tuck in your back paws a bit more," Icecloud instructed. Lunarpaw nodded and pushed her hind paws in so that they were touching her belly a little more. "Okay, do you see that leaf over there?"  
>Lunarpaw followed Icecloud's gaze and saw there was an oak leaf laying directly in front of her a few tail-lengths away. She nodded. "Pretend you're hunting and catch it."<br>Lunarpaw nodded again and she shuffled quietly toward it. As she got closer she stopped and began to wriggle her haunches. She pushed off the ground and pounced, but didn't land quite on the leaf. She landed a few mouse-lengths short of the leaf.  
>"What?" She said astonished. "How did I miss it?"<br>"It's okay, you're just new at this," Icecloud reassured her. Lunarpaw huffed and backed up. More determined now, she dropped into her crouch again. She slowly crawled toward to leaf again and pounced. This time she landed closer, but still didn't make it.  
>"Don't get too irritated," Icecloud warned. "You'll get there, but, first, some improvements. When you walk closer, don't drag your paws and match sure you don't drop them so loudly, or your prey will hear you. Also, pay close attention to where you step. If you make a single noise, then anything you hunt will hear you and run away. Also, try to get closer without getting spotted. Keep trying."<br>Lunarpaw sighed and nodded. She took a few deep breaths and dropped into her crouch again. She adjusted her back paws and she padded slowly and quietly forward, getting as close as she could. She stopped a few tail-lengths away and pounced again. This time landing with the leaf directly under her front paws. She grabbed it in her mouth and turned around to show Icecloud her "catch."  
>"Perfect!" Icecloud purred. "Want to try actually hunting now?"<br>"Am I ready?" Lunarpaw asked.  
>"It's easier to learn on the job," Icecloud explained. Lunarpaw nodded. Icecloud motioned with her tail for Lunarpaw to follow. Lunarpaw jumped up and followed behind her mentor. They walked out of the hollow and back into the forest. The wind blew lightly against Lunarpaw's face. After walking for a bit, Icecloud stopped. Lunarpaw stopped in front of her as her mentor turned to face her.<br>"Okay, first I want you to smell the air for some prey," Icecloud instructed. Lunarpaw nodded and parted her jaws to taste the air. She smelled many different scents mingling with each other. She looked up and shook her head.  
>"I can't make out anything," she sighed.<br>"That's fine," Icecloud meowed. The white cat parted her own jaws and tasted for the scent of prey. "I smell a mouse."  
>Lunarpaw perked up and looked around for a mouse, but couldn't see anything. Icecloud flicked her tail at Lunarpaw and pointed at a small brown creature that was scuttering around the roots of a tree. It stopped and began to sniff at a small nut that was laying on the ground.<br>"I want you to watch what I do closely," Icecloud whispered in Lunarpaw's ear. "Back out of the way for a moment."  
>Lunarpaw nodded and backed away. Icecloud dropped into a crouch with her tail elevated and her paws tucked. She moved forward in complete silence and effortlessly dodged a twig laying on the ground. She grew closer and stopped. Her haunches rocked and she pounced and landed on the mouse. She quickly nipped it on the neck and it went limp. The white she-cat bounced over to Lunarpaw with the mouse in her jaws and then laid it at her apprentice's paws.<br>"Smell that and learn the scent of mouse," Icecloud meowed, nodding to the prey. Lunarpaw nodded and bent down to sniff the mouse. She drank in the smell and felt her mouth begin to water. Quickly, she drew back.  
>"Tasty," Lunarpaw purred. Icecloud looked at her with amusement.<br>"Okay, your turn," Icecloud mewed as she dug a shallow hole to put the mouse in. She pushed dirt over it and then she stood next to Lunarpaw. "Smell the air."  
>Lunarpaw nodded and parted her jaws to taste the air again. This time she smelled another mouse. She followed the direction the scent was coming from and saw it under a bramble bush.<br>"Okay, make sure the wind isn't blowing toward the mouse, or it'll smell you," Icecloud whispered. Lunarpaw nodded and felt the air. It was blowing directly toward her. She looked over at Icecloud. "It's blowing toward me."  
>"Okay, then try to catch it," Icecloud instructed her. Lunarpaw dropped into her crouch and moved toward the mouse. Her tail was stiff and elevated, and her paws dropped silently. She stopped. She rocked on her haunches and pounced. He paws landed on the mouse, but before she could kill it, it squeaked and slipped out from under her paws. Then, it scuttled away.<br>"Mouse dung!" Lunarpaw cursed. Icecloud padded up next to her and purred with amusement.  
>"Don't get so irritated," Icecloud soothed her. "You did very well, today. Just don't hesitate like that. I think we are done for the day. Let's get back to camp."<br>Lunarpaw sighed and followed her mentor. They reached the camp. Lunarpaw was about to go over to get a piece of fresh-kill, but Icecloud stopped her.  
>"No, you have to wait until the queens and elders have gotten their food," Icecloud warned. Lunarpaw looked at the fresh-kill pile longingly. "I'm going to go see Ravenpaw."<br>She padded away toward the medicine den. She went inside and saw Briarlight curled up in her nest. The injured cat lifted her head and looked at Lunarpaw.  
>"Are you here to see Ravenpaw?" She asked. Lunarpaw nodded. "Her and Jayfeather already left for Moonpool."<br>Lunarpaw sighed. "Thanks, Briarlight."  
>The she-cat nodded and rested her head on her paws. Lunarpaw turned around and left the den. She looked around the camp for someone to talk to. She saw Icecloud walking over to the fresh-kill pile. Her mentor met her gaze.<br>"Hey, you can get something to eat now!" She called out. Lunarpaw nodded and walked over to grab something. She sniffed around and found a vole in the pile. She pulled it out. She noticed Dovewing was eating with Bumblestripe next to the fallen tree. Lunarpaw padded over to them.  
>"Lunarpaw!" Dovewing exclaimed. "How was training?"<br>Dovewing's mouth was filled with squirrel. Bumblestripe's eyes glinted in amusement at the gray cat.  
>"It was okay," Lunarpaw meowed. She took a bite out of her vole.<br>"Only okay?" Bumblestripe mewed. Lunarpaw nodded as she swallowed her food.  
>"I'm not very good at hunting," She sighed.<br>"Well, it was only your first day," Dovewing said softly. "You have to be patient."  
>"Yeah, you'll get better!" Bumblestripe reassured her. Lunarpaw purred. Her parents had always been so encouraging. She gulped down the rest of her food and stood up.<br>"I think I'll get some sleep, now," She informed them. "I want to be awake for when Ravenpaw gets back. She gave them a nod and walked away.  
>When she entered the apprentices den, she saw Dewpaw sitting in his nest, bathing himself. He looked up at Lunarpaw and flicked his tail.<br>"Hey, Lunarpaw, how was your first day?" He greeted her excitedly. She walked over to her own nest and sat down.  
>"It was alright," She mewed. "I think I'm more excited about learning fighting moves than I am about hunting."<br>"Most apprentices are, but don't worry because you'll get there soon enough!" He mewed. She nodded and curled up. She wasn't feeling particularly social. Lunarpaw mainly wanted to talk to Ravenpaw.  
>"Well, goodnight, Dewpaw," She mewed.<br>"Night!" he replied. Lunarpaw rested her head on her paws and drifted off to sleep.


End file.
